Union Minister Ramdas Athawale has said Eknath Shinde was “unhappy” after the BJP finalized Devendra Fadnavis as its Chief Minister choice. Alliance Deciding, Answer Soon’: BJP’s D Fadnavis On Chief Minister Suspense
Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis have said there is no dispute over the Chief Minister post.
Mumbai, New Delhi: It’s been four days since Mahayuti emerged victorious with a historic margin in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. Yet the BJP-allied coalition still hasn’t made a formal declaration regarding the face of the CM post.
Devendra Fadnavis, BJP leader and erstwhile CM of Maharashtra says that all three components of Mahayuti partners are deciding together, and there will soon be a reply. As BJP would like Devendra Fadnavis, its ally Shiv Sena supports its leader, Eknath Shinde. Now that it will name its top leader, the BJP is negotiating with its ally in private to iron out differences and avoid embarrassment.
While the Opposition has questioned the delay in Mahayuti naming its Chief Minister pick, BJP sources tell OneIndia that they were not in a hurry to form the government. “We are not looking at any timeline. The government formation in Uttar Pradesh took two weeks,” a source said.
Besides the Chief Minister’s position, the BJP, Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP leadership will have to negotiate ministerial berths. Maharashtra will have a total of 43 ministers, including the Chief Minister. The BJP, which won 132 out of the Mahayuti’s score of 230, is likely to claim half of the ministerial berths, leaving the rest for the allies.
When the Uddhav Thackeray government fell in 2022 following Mr Shinde’s rebellion, the BJP supported him for Chief Minister despite having more numerical strength in the Assembly.
Mr Fadnavis, though unwillingly, had agreed to the Deputy Chief Minister’s post. But this time, after its spectacular performance in the polls, the BJP will unlikely let the post go to its ally. According to BJP leaders, workers want Mr Fadnavis in the top role. The BJP’s ideological parent RSS also supports Nagpur South West MLA, learned here today.
